Supermarket secrets that can save you hundreds on your next trip

With the rising cost of goods, it’s no surprise Aussies love a bargain, and honestly who doesn’t anyway? We love finding out ways to further stretch our dollars to every last cent and hopefully help us all save a bit of money.

According to CHOICE’s latest survey, 87 per cent of people are concerned about paying for food — a sharp increase from the 56 per cent of Australians who were worried about grocery costs in January 2021.


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Know what to look for when shopping, and you can save big! Image source: Shutterstock.




To help make things a little easier on the wallets of many people, CHOICE has compiled a list of tips and tricks consumers can use when grocery shopping.

CHOICE content producer, Liam Kennedy, said the first place to start is comparing unit prices.

Unit prices break down the cost of a product into units of measurement, such as per 100g, and allows consumers to compare ‘like for like’.


‘When you’re buying honey in the smallest sort of jars, you actually pay 40 per cent more per 100g than you would be if you’re buying the bigger containers.’

Prices can vary significantly depending on the size of the product, while the larger jar costs more upfront, this means that you’ll have more product and less waste in the long run.

He also encouraged consumers not to disregard home brand products, with a recent CHOICE survey showing shoppers could save up to 40 per cent if they made the switch.

‘Our recent test for things like peanut butter, baked beans, ice creams, chocolates, some of the top performers were home brand products and (they’re) now outperforming flagship items and ... often coming in at half the price.’


Blind taste tests done by CHOICE have also shown that in some cases, home brand products are often rated just as good or better than their name brand counterpart.

The consumer advocacy group also urged consumers to look out for products that can be refilled. They found that by switching to refillable products, such as cleaning products, can result in savings of 32 per cent on average.

Another top tip is to buy frozen out-of-season fruits and vegetables as fresh produce can be very expensive. Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious and can be stored for a longer period of time.

Kennedy said the most important thing for consumers is to not shop on ‘auto-pilot’ and instead be more thoughtful about the products they’re purchasing.


‘Autopilot is when we go into the shops and go straight to the products we always buy, the same brand, the same sizes ... which is fair enough, we all want to get shopping over and done with,’ he said.

Here at Seniors Discount Club, we encourage our shoppers to be mindful of their spending when buying groceries. We hope that in your next shopping trip you’ll be more conscious of the items you put in your cart and make sure that they are worth every cent spent!

Do you already take these precautions when doing your grocery shop? Maybe you have some other tips? Let us know in the comment section below!
 
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I am like Timandy above. Always have been careful of what I buy. We also had young ones and one wage
I did my own cooking and baking so no bought biscuits or cakes. One son became a chef.
Now we are older and only the two of us I still do all the same things but with an occasional packet of Granita biscuits. I am not keen on going out for meals but love to have my friends over for a meal.
I buy some items that are the larger size such as Vegemite but I find that some will be wasted as when it gets quite low it becomes fairly dry so that is a waste but to buy the smaller container it is expensive.
Have you tried turning your Vegemite upside-down? Sometimes this helps so it doesn’t dry out. I’ve tried it with peanut butter, jam etc and seems to be helping for us.
 
I mainly buy my staples when they are on special, but always check the unit price. Quite often the smaller packing is on special, you buy two of these and pay less than for the bigger packet. Luckily I m old enough to do my calculations without the need of a mobile phone etc😉
agree with you. I also round up and keep a running total in my head.
 
What if you are doing all of the above, living on +/- $1.75 a day and still can't make the grade ???
Oh dear, you must be doing it tough. ☹️ Sad that people have to live like that when they’ve probably worked hard all through life and have to scrimp so much at this age.
 
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Looks like everyone has control over this subject but another thing to consider is the country of origin. I check all products especially home brands to see where they are made. I will only buy Australian-made products as it helps our economy.
Agree
 
Hi - I’ve been “shopping shrewdly” my whole life when it comes to groceries. I’ve always bought plain brand, bought things in bulk on special, make my own meals from scratch - I lived through high interest rates and a mortgage, 3 little kids,one wage etc - we had no choice. I think our generation also learnt from our parents and grandparents who lived through recessions and war - they taught us to be frugal. One tip I’d like to add here - when I buy a roast - it’s too big for the 2 of us - so I ask the butcher to cut it half or even 3 (Ie lamb beef silverside etc) - I then have 2-3 roasts - from one
Especially in winter when we often used to waste the cold meat (dog got it)
I also buy mince in bulk - mix up and freeze multiple serves of rissoles and meat loaf. I have a million things I do to save $$ - not cause I’m poor - I think cause I was taught to be careful 😊
👍
 
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I shop on line , I find it's easier to find what's on sale.

I only buy certain items when 50% off and stock up knowing I won't run out items like washing detergent, dish washing detergent ect .

Shopping on line you get to see the total if your shop before paying so no shock.

If you get something that is nearly out of date or damaged then you call and get a refund
If you shop online and want a refund for something defective, don’t you have to make a trip to the store to take it back?
 
Oh dear, you must be doing it tough. ☹️ Sad that people have to live like that when they’ve probably worked hard all through life and have to scrimp so much at this age.
Don't do anything... never go out of the house unless it's to the Dr. or grocery shopping.
 

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